Necessities
by Cheria
Summary: [Fighting bandits without a staff? Not smart.] Shinon and Gatrie couldn't have agreed more with Titania.


Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem nor any of its contents, Intelligent Systems and Nintendo does.

Authoress' Notes: The need to write came out of nowhere again, and as I seem to have no desire finished a third chapter for my multi-chaptered story, it seemed like a good idea to start a one-shot. This was originated from a support conversation between Titania and Rhys, which I somehow managed to have Shinon be a prominent and important part of it. That's the little background on this fanfiction. Oh, and the _italics_ would be the sniper's thoughts, just to notify you all beforehand.

More importantly, with the lack of someone to beta the piece - that, and I happen to feel lazy at this moment - errors _will _be found. I apologize for that in advance.

Started: 11th of October, 2007  
Completed: 13th of October, 2007

* * *

A single eyelid slowly - and, at the same time, groggily - slid open, as green orbs that reflected the lack of respite came into slight view. The other soon followed as Shinon suppressed the urge to yawn, tiredly bringing his right hand to massage his temple with one finger for each side, though the rhythm was partially off. While his fingers lazily but steadily soothed the throbbing his head was assaulted by, the sniper pushed himself up sluggishly until his slim form was sitting on the corner of the messy bed. Dropping the massaging hand, Shinon used his thumb and index fingers to rub away the irritating feeling his eyes held. Holding back a groan, the adult lifted himself from the bed and off the sheets, blindly reaching for the outer layers of his usual attire as he threw them onto his body.

It was only a matter of minutes before he found himself fully clothed, though he eventually retied his ponytail after scowling at the loose strand that had hung hovering before his eyes. Shinon was not exactly the neatest person around, but he most certainly could not tolerate anything out of place when it came to him, no matter how unimportant it may have happened to be. The sniper slipped into his boots, clasping the protectors to it as he left to wash his face, and then to truly start off the day.

The moment the freezing liquid made contact with his face, a slight burst of energy erupted as Shinon's mind snapped completely to reality, bringing the man out of his semi-sleepy state. Quickly wiping off the excess liquid with a towel, he tossed the cloth aside back to its original place on the table (Goddess knew why it was there in the first place). Though, what happened after he stepped out of the cleaning room was not quite something Shinon had been expecting.

"Uncle Shinon!" He never saw the green blob of hair until a small body made contact with his own slender one, knocking a portion of breath out of the sniper as the child launched himself into the man's unfortunate abdomen.

It took only a moment for Shinon to regain his composure, drawing in oxygen to keep him breathing from the little that he had been deprived off just then and there, "... Rolf?"

The young boy squeezed harder as he embraced the man in a tight hug, looking up at his mentor with a smile marked all over on his features, "Yes?"

"Let go." Rolf immediately complied, releasing Shinon as he was told to. "What are you doing here this early?" There was no hint of interest in the man's tone, but the sniper found himself asking the unimportant question anyway.

"Uncle Shinon, it's almost afternoon!"

It seemed to Shinon that the sniper's brain had refused to register in the fact that the sun had been out in plain view, its harsh rays blaring to Tellius' surface.

_Must've been the drinks. _He snorted from the thought.

"All right then, what are you doing, tackling me in front of the cleaning room?"

Rolf's smile did not falter from the rather offensive comment on part of his hugging, only replied happily with a cheery "It was just a hug!". Despite his efforts, Shinon's eye twitched slightly from the answer, though he managed to hold back rolling them. Although, it was the fact that the two were in plain sight that particularly irritated the man, as he refused to have his secret on having taught Rolf to use the bow exploited and out to the publicity of the Greil Mercenaries. He'd never hear the end of it, especially from the more talkative members, namely Boyd. As for what Ike would do... Shinon wasn't going to go there. Even thinking of the boy's name made him blench as he suppressed the urge to do so in front of Rolf. Thankfully, the child did not notice the passing awkward expression his teacher had worn just a split second ago.

"That wasn't a hug, it was an assault." Shinon muttered, quickly adding to his response, "If we're going to talk, we're going to do it elsewhere. If the others see us, you're breaking your promise, and you know what that means."

In immediate response to his last words, Rolf's head flew up as he looked intensely into his mentor's orbs with his own, though coming from a child the serious expression did not exactly make the situation seem as stern as it might have been meant to be, "No, I'll never break my promise, Shinon!"

Said man raised a brow, though only by the slightest, "Then why are we still here in the open?"

"Mist was looking for you, so I thought I'd help!" The child began as he continued furthermore into the little details, "I think everyone's meeting in the mess hall. Are you going to be fighting again?" It almost sounded as if Rolf had wanted there to be a new job, to watch Shinon return triumphantly, which he always celebrated in secrecy so as to not exploit their ever-so fragile secret. Even so, his concern over the man's safety was evident in a very obscure way.

The older man only looked away, "Probably. I'm going to Mist, so go play with her or something after I leave." Receiving a tiny nod, Shinon made his way to where Rolf pointed his tiny nimble fingers, indicating where he had last seen Greil's daughter.

Soon enough, the sniper finally spotted Mist, whose back was turned to him as she looked around for any sign of the man that was ironically behind her. He approached her, and the sound of boots hitting against a sandy ground emitted from his trudging. Shinon's loud entrance caught the girl's attention as Mist swirled around, a smile growing on her face as she finally found the person she had been searching for.

"Shinon!" She started, taking quick and simple steps towards the man, "I finally found you!"

"Obviously," Shinon snorted, though the mocking tone wasn't as apparent as it usually was when he happened to be around those like Ike and Boyd, "What's this gathering about, a mission?"

"Yep, that's exactly what it is. Everyone else is waiting for you, so you better hurry up!" The girl was enthusiastic as always, he noted. It certainly was a wonder as to how she did it, but Mist always maintained a straight and gentle expression. To an extent, Shinon was unnerved by it.

"Yeah. Whatever." Having often been brushed aside, Mist only watched Shinon's retreating form as it grew smaller and smaller with each step he took.

Until she found herself turning again from a call of her name, only to find Rolf waving to her as the smaller child approached. Mist's attention then shifted, for a moment leaving aside the subject of Shinon's tardiness as she indulged in some childish activities only she and Rolf seemed to be able to have fun with (seeing as how everyone else were much older, she knew that the right to complain about the subject did not side with her). At least there was someone, even if it was just a single person, to have fun with of the same age group.

* * *

"You're late."

Shinon held back a snort, just in time to see that Titania had been the one to comment on his late arriving. He merely shrugged, as if it was a simple disruption that could be ignored. Even though the thought of someone as slow as Gatrie coming before he slightly rattled his nerves with irritation.

"Obviously. Forget about it, what's this all about, a mission?" The Greil Mercenaries had been, for a time being, quite inactive due to the lack of jobs to handle. Brigands didn't seem so common anymore at this time of the year, just like how bears hibernated in the winter and avoided activity. All the more reason to see the thieves as savages. Not that Shinon had already found them to be civilized in any matter - in fact, he thought them to be a more vile factor of the human environment. Though there were most certainly other components that surpassed the disinterest the sniper held for the brigands.

To his right, Shinon caught Greil's stiff, yet noticeable nod. "That's right. Soren, if you would go into the details?"

"Of course." It almost seemed as if the young boy had appeared from thin air to Shinon. His small size certainly was not helping in having his presence known, along with the fact that his dark, monotone attire allowed him to blend into the shadows formed by the walls and rays of the sun. "I've recently found the location of some thieves' stomping ground, near a village not too far from here. Several villagers that reside there have reported their findings as well, and it's been demanded that we take care of them - apparently, someone at the bar overheard a drunk bandit spilling their plans of assaulting the village.

Judging from the looting background these thieves seem to have, defeating them should be easy. But keep in mind that their numbers are large, much bigger than our band of mercenaries despite their lack of experience in proper fighting style."

After the brief summary was stated, Boyd started excitedly, "Finally, another battle!"

However, much to the young fighter's dismay, Greil gave a disappointing command, "Boyd, I'll have to ask you to sit this one out."

"Huh? No way! Why?"

Shinon launched into a simple, yet effective and stinging explanation, "You broke your ax in the previous mission and _still_ haven't bought a new one yet. That's why, you idiot." He resisted the urge to laugh at the fighter's flushed face and embarrassment.

"That would be the main reason," the commander started, paying no heed to Shinon's comment, "Titania, I want you to go there and see to the villager's safety. Bring whoever you find fit for the job from the team."

"Yes, Commander Greil." The deputy commander turned her head to the little audience gathered around the room. While she contemplated on having Oscar join her due to his rapidly increasing fighting abilities, bringing another horseman to a rather small village didn't exactly seem like a sound plan. Boyd was, quite obviously, not available due to his lack of equipment. Which left the other two members of the mercenaries...

"Shinon, Gatrie, are you prepared to leave?"

"Always am!" Gatrie started, putting on his classic, wide grin as he lightly stomped the butt of his lance onto the ground to have a more effective response.

The sniper only stood straighter as to acknowledge the woman's question, "As am I."

"Good, then I'll be taking the two of you with me. Come!"

Ignoring Boyd's mumbling of having forgotten to purchase a new ax at the armory, the three seniors of the Greil Mercenaries made their quiet leave. They immediately left for their destination, no words being exchanged during their short travel to the village at hand. Because of Titania's speedy horse and Shinon's quick sprinting, the two repeatedly found themselves waiting for their armored companion to catch up, panting loudly to display his hard efforts in reaching the others. While the deputy commander waited patiently, Shinon displayed his opposite - and more negative - response with a scowl etched onto his narrow features. To the blond-haired man's dismay, the two started off again the moment he caught up, groaning as he pushed himself further.

Once the two came to nearing the village, Shinon and Titania awaited for the general to reach them. "Finally. Could you possibly have run any slower? You're as fast as a sick turtle."

A moment was necessary for the statement to be responded, as Gatrie was having a rather difficult time catching fresh breaths of air to supply the ones he had recently lost, "Well, with all this armor... I just can't move around as fast as you guys!"

"If you're going to complain about the armor, then don't wear it!" Shinon snapped, his fingers curling inwards to form into a fist, roughly pushing against his palms.

Gatrie would have replied with a casual defense, though Titania brushed the conversation aside, "That's enough, you two. We're at the village now." The crimson-haired woman advanced into the village as the two men followed suit.

While Gatrie was grateful at the fact that he no longer needed to run without so much as a break, Shinon on the other hand was merely attempting to push aside the throbbing pain in his head. Despite how good it may have felt to drink far more than necessary, the sniper loathed the aftermath of its effects; hangovers. Perhaps this was not a good day to have been dispatched to a mission. Slightly shaking his head, the man quickly dismissed the thought.

Once the three were in the depths of the village, a tiny and elderly man approached them, his legs wobbling from old age. "Ah! You must be the mercenaries we hired." Upon being "welcomed", Titania nodded to confirm his assumption, "Oh, how silly of me to not introduce myself. I am the mayor of this village, despite my old age and fainting sight...," he seemed to be looking somewhat disturbingly at the crimson-haired woman, an undefinable gleam settling in his small orbs, "I have heard many good deeds you mercenaries have accomplished, but never have I thought that you'd all be so young! And to especially have a woman of such beauty in your ranks... it is simply intriguing."

Shinon scoffed, "There's no time for pleasantries, is there? Just get on with the details." His tone was demanding, unfit for addressing an elder, though the mayor paid no heed to it.

"Yes, yes, of course." The old man cleared his throat, "Bandits have been spotted around the parts of this village recently, and we, the villagers, are under suspicions they may be plotting to rob the village of its goods. Rumors say that their base is not too far from here around the left side of this area, and we were hoping you mercenaries would be able to be rid of them. How does that sound?"

Titania replied in her usual business-like tone, "We will see to it immediately. In the meanwhile, you can be rest assured that we will have this problem taken care of." The old man only nodded feebly in response, turning slowly and scuttling away while grumbling incoherent words to himself.

Shortly after the mayor departed, Shinon scowled slightly, "That old man was of no help. He only repeated what that little boy told us, except he thought they were rumors instead of facts!"

"At least we know where we can find that stomping ground now, you know!" Gatrie replied, having found the positive factor in the summary that was almost a complete repeat.

And again, Titania found herself stopping the two from entering a quarrel. "All right then, let's go find that bandit headquarters." She started, changing her direction towards the left, as the mayor had told of its location to be in that side.

Both Shinon and Gatrie responded in unison, "Yes, Captain." They trudged after her, with Gatrie - as usual - having some difficulties in keeping up with his other two companions.

* * *

It wasn't long before the three mercenaries spotted the bandit's stomping grounds near a forest, which happened to be almost disturbingly very close to the village. Titania kept a straight face, Gatrie seemed slightly surprised by the revelation, and Shinon was convinced that the villagers were pathetically blind to not see how close they had been to danger. Then again, there had been that one bandit who was stupid enough to drink so much as to spill he and his companions' plans on taking over the village.

After making sure that they were out of a few bandits' sights, Titania spoke in a hoarse whisper to conceal their location, "Okay, you two," she began, "We're heavily outnumbered, but they shouldn't be difficult to handle. Gatrie, you and I will head to the front and charge whoever is in the field."

"I'll be sure to demonstrate my strength to those bandits!"

"Shinon, take care of the stragglers and remaining members."

"Got it."

"Remember to keep your eyes peeled, and don't hesitate to use items if you need it." She received nods of acknowledgment, and in return, she got her horse ready to run straight into the crowd of bandits. Having not been aware of the mercenaries sneaking towards them, the brigands were - naturally - taken off guard. No words were exchanged as the bandits jumped up into their clumsy positions, clutching their rusty axes with their portly fingers.

A hectic battle ensued, mostly due to the large number of people on the field as axes and arrows were exchanged in the air. Titania swept through the battlefield with ease, charging whoever came close to her. Her ax cut through many of her opponents as the bandits struggled to defend themselves from the woman's attacks, crumbling one after another with each and every time the weapon was swung. Due to their clumped formation, more than one were sometimes taken down at once because of how close the bandits were knit.

In the meanwhile, Gatrie slowly pursued the brigands Titania had passed by, barely being effected at all by their feeble attempts at bringing him down. He pointed his lance in their direction, lunged forward, and most of the time they were hit. Despite the power the general held, his speed at times caused him to miss his target, in which Shinon took up the responsibility of bringing them down with his arrows. During the battle, Gatrie stationed himself in front of the sniper so as to shield the smaller man from direct assaults, acting as a wall and cannon for those that were near.

The big number dwindled, decimated by the three senior members of the Greil mercenaries until only a handful bandits remained. In the verge of raging fury, the remaining members lunged fiercely, crying out and howling as they were knocked down and defeated. Every other brigands made the same, poor mistake of pursuing one or two of their attackers, soon joining their fallen comrades. In a matter of moments, most if not all bandits were on the ground, defeated and out of commission.

"Is that all of them?" Shinon muttered, scanning the area for survivors as the tight grip on his bow did not falter.

Titania did the same, her eyes darting back and forth until she spotted a blur of tan flesh run into the woods, "There! One just ran into the forest!" In the heat of the moment, she blindly pursued the fleeing bandit, ignoring the shouts of both Shinon and Gatrie without considering the consequences.

A few seconds into the pursuit, Titania suddenly felt oxygen leaving her as she was thrown into the air, and landed unceremoniously onto the uneven ground before her steed. She looked up to see her horse tangled in an undergrowth, crying out and haphazardly attempting to free itself, only to get stuck more in its inevitable state. Titania looked around after noticing the absence of a handle in her hands, spotting her ax a few yards from her to the right, out of her reach by a long shot. She heard footsteps, loud ones that belonged to the bandit as he spotted the crimson-haired woman in a helpless situation.

The brigand reached for her, roughly grabbing the paladin's neat braid, and pulled. Stifling a cry, Titania attempted to pull away, only to feel a stinging pain arousing from her left cheek, which was slowly turning into a shade of bright red, similar to the strands of her crimson hair. He then continued the torture, throwing her onto her back and bringing the ax swiftly down across her chest, cracking the armor and drawing some red liquid as Titania bit her lip to restrain from crying out. Each time she attempted to move away, he stomped on her lithe form, proceeding with his cautious hacking as cuts and bruises began forming around her body, until the paladin found herself unable to move properly any longer.

Then, the bandit smirked, his ugly features twisting and contorting into an odd expression as he charged the fallen paladin, ax at the ready to draw the last of her blood. Out of instinct, Titania feebly drew one hand up to her face in a poor attempt to shield herself from danger, all hopes of being helped lost.

She never felt the death blow. Instead, she heard something whiz by her in incredible speed, followed up by a grunt from the murderous bandit.

Slightly confused and fully bewildered, Titania cracked open an eye just in time to watch the bulky form before her collapse into a heap, the light in his opened eyes leaving ever-so slowly. A well-aimed arrow was implanted in his chest, where the heart was residing around. She managed to pull herself up to a sitting position against a tree, wiping away a small trickle of blood that escaped from her lips as she frowned at her disability to protect herself. Her scornful thoughts, however, were pushed aside when shouts reached her ears, and the paladin recognized it to belong to a certain sniper and flirtatious general. Light and heavy footsteps were approaching, and she felt relieved, though the darkness began to claim her consciousness. Slowly, but steadily. When Shinon and Gatrie discovered her limp body, she was already unconscious.

"Captain... Captain!" Gatrie called out, reaching for the deputy commander to lightly shake her, but to no avail. "Could it be that she...?"

"Of course she's not dead. You think a measly bandit like _that _could have killed the captain? Ha! Fat chance." Kneeling down, the sniper took Titania's wrist and studied it, shaking his head, "Her pulse is weakening. If we don't get her to the village fast, then who knows what could happen to her."

The general immediately knelt down, "Then let's take her there right now!"

Shinon extended a hand, halting the blond-haired man from scooping up their unconscious leader, "It's not as simple as you think, idiot. If we move her, her condition will just get worse."

"Then... what do we do?"

"Good question. I don't know." He massaged his temples, willing the stress and the little remaining bit of hangover to leave. However, a sudden snap of a twig caused Shinon to whirl around, studying his surroundings, "Who's there?" He called out, drawing his bow up, ready for another fight.

As if on cue, a small figure - most likely a young man - emerged from behind several bushes, stumbling as the body caught itself from falling. He held a basket in one hand, which seemed to hold a variety of plants, highly to be herbs of some sorts. The youth stuttered, raising both hands to signal that he wished to not fight, "P-please, there's no need to be so alarmed!" The crimson-haired man gave a questioning look, demanding to know why the newcomer was present. "Um... I just heard some noises here and came to investigate..." His eyes wandered until the pair of gentle orbs landed on Titania's fallen and bruised form, and he failed to stifled a gasp. "Oh, Goddess! She's terribly hurt..."

Before Shinon was able to muster up any sort of rude response, the young man was beside his captain's body in a split second. Slightly surprised at the lightning speed the small man had demonstrated, the sniper took a moment to collect himself, "You... Can you help her in any way?" He received a tiny nod.

"Yes, I'm... a priest of some sort," he studied Titania's cuts and marks, shaking his head, "But there isn't much I can do right now. If we can take her to the village, I could take to healing her at my parents' house."

"Hey, Shinon, didn't you say that moving her is a bad idea?" Gatrie questioned, unsure of how to contribute to the conversation at hand.

The sniper knelt by the youth. "Yeah, I said that." He turned to the younger man beside him, "What's your name?"

"I am Rhys. I live in the nearby village just ahead," the priest moved one of his small hands into the basket he carried, pulling out an herb and a few other materials, "Once I apply this medicinal herb to her, then she should last long enough to be moved. Once at the village, I'll properly tend to her wounds then."

The two mercenaries simply watched as Rhys set to work, producing a thick substance with the herb and applying it as he had told them he would. The general process was rather slow, though it seemed as if the smaller man was in a hurry, almost desperate to help the woman before him. In the meanwhile, Shinon had retrieved Titania's ax, with Gatrie untangling her horse from the undergrowth after successfully calming the animal. A moment passed until Rhys had finished, and the two mercenaries quickly set to doing their part of the responsibility. Gatrie hoisted Titania onto her horse, guiding it through the forest as Shinon collected his arrow from the bandit that had fallen with Rhys in tow. Once they were out of the woods, Shinon uneasily turned to the priest behind him.

"Hey," Rhys' head immediately shot up as his eyes met the sniper's glare, "Why are you helping us? Not like we did anything for you."

"Oh... I just felt the need to help. I can't stand to watch someone suffer and do nothing about it..." He paused for a moment. "It doesn't seem right to not help. To aid someone in need is just, yes?"

Shinon snorted, "Whatever. You just better make sure that the captain is in fine condition."

"I... I will."

* * *

The sniper hadn't understood as to why he had left Rhys do what he did. After all, having just met the priest, relying on a small man to save the life of an important person did not sit well with Shinon. Humans were sneaky creatures, the lot of them, he reminded himself. Perhaps Rhys was aiding them for a catch, the strings that would be revealed once Titania was brought back to the village and mended. It worked like that most of the time, where when one owed another a deed, the person would take a great advantage of the situation. But still... Rhys, despite having just met him, did not strike the sniper as the type to do such a thing.

Having been in a particularly deep thought, Shinon was snapped back to reality when Gatrie announced their return to the village. Rhys took to moving Titania's horse towards his abode, and Shinon and Gatrie immediately followed after. Thankfully, the house hadn't been too far from the side of the village they had entered, and the deputy commander was soon being taken gently off her horse to a small, yet welcoming bed. An elderly couple - who Shinon assumed to be Rhys' parents - did not question their new guests, and like their son, dropped their current activities to help the weak woman.

The woman of the couple emerged from the room where Titania was being kept shortly after having entered. She possessed a kind face with gentle eyes, though her lack of height caused the old woman to look up greatly, simply to get a look at Shinon and Gatrie's faces.

"My husband and Rhys are tending to the girl," she began, her voice soft and comforting, "I came to check up on you two. Have any of you injuries?"

Gatrie shook his head, and Shinon simply replied with a blunt "no". The elderly woman smiled as she approached the latter, "You've a scratch on your cheek." The sniper raised a brow before raising a hand to rub against a small cut that ran across the left side of his face.

"There, there," the woman slowly lowered his hand with her own, "Best not to touch it. Here, let me to clean it for you." She took a damp cloth from her apron and dabbed it on the cut, despite Shinon's grunting and protest while Gatrie simply watched, amused at the whole situation. "Why don't you two sit here? I'm currently cooking dinner, perhaps you and the lovely lady could join us? She should be awake soon."

The thought of free, warm dinner sparked Shinon's interest, "Yeah, why not." He and Gatrie took a seat at a table in the next room, presumably the dining area. Though the sniper refused to let it on, he was in fact quite relieved to hear that Titania was going to be fine according to the old woman's words.

And the evening passed in sheer silence, until an elderly man who nearly looked like the counterpart of the woman approached the two men. "The lass is awake now, but her wounds are still there, so it would be best if you had her stay put for a while - likely a week or so." He scanned the mercenaries before him, "Would you like to see her?"

Shinon rised from his seat, brushing past the old man and going straight into the room. On the other hand, Gatrie politely thanked the elder before following suit to check on his superior.

When they entered the room, the two were greeted with the sight of a rather lively Titania, who seemed to be faring better than at the time she had been discovered. Bandages and cloths were covering her visible wounds, though her face was spared from such marks. Her hair was undone from its usual, thick braids, having tumbled down in a somewhat curly manner. The crimson-haired woman was sitting upright against the bed she sat on, and she appeared to only be garbed in a white and black attire, her choice of clothing below all the armor and trench coat (of which were neatly placed on a table next to the bed).

Having noticed their non-too subtle entrance, Titania turned her attention from Rhys to both men, though Gatrie was the first to speak, "How are you doing, Captain?"

_Thank the goddess he held back the urge to flirt with the captain._

"I'm faring well, thanks to Rhys and his parents." She turned to said male, "I can't thank you enough for what you've done."

"Please, I only felt it was right to help. And it wasn't all me or my parents," Rhys gestured to Shinon and Gatrie, "Those two were the ones that saved you from the bandit, after all."

"I feathered that one, all right," the sniper remarked, acting to be proud of his achievement.

Titania spoke in acknowledgment, "It's no wonder. You're a first class archer, Shinon."

"Oh, is that your name?" The priest noticed the grunt the sniper gave in return, taking that as a positive answer before turning to Gatrie, "And what would be yours?"

"Gatrie's the name!" The general started, smiling his classic grin. "What were you two talking about, anyway, Captain?"

The paladin scanned the two men before turning back to the staff-wielding man, "Rhys and I were just discussing about the Greil mercenaries."

"What about it?" Shinon piped up.

The priest looked rather sheepishly at the floor, staring shamelessly at his covered feet, "Well...," he started, "I know someone who is a mercenary, a close relative of mine. I'm just so inspired by the stories he tell me, and it fascinates me to hear of these kind of tales."

Nodding, Titania suddenly offered an idea in mind, "Rhys. You wield a staff, don't you?" The frail man responded with a simple "yes", "Would you like to, by chance, join the Greil mercenaries? You seem efficient with healing duties, and maybe I can persuade the commander to allow your coming."

An excited Rhys would have feebly jumped up and nearly screamed with joy, though such action was cut off when the door creaked open, and his mother stepped into the room. All pairs of eyes turned to the woman's small form as she waved slightly to greet them again, "Dinner is ready, so why don't you all come to the dining room? You should be able to move around a bit with the help of those dashing young men, yes, lovely lass?" She turned to the door with her back facing the four, but before leaving, she added onto her words in a happy tone, "I will have a treat for all of you soon, rest be assured."

Gatrie seemed somewhat hyped about the surprise and turned to Rhys, "What do you think the treat might be?"

"Knowing Mother, perhaps it's a good meal and desert. She's a pretty good cook, actually."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Shinon demanded, "Let's get going to the dining table!"

With the help of Shinon and Gatrie, their deputy commander was able to reach the dining room without any issues or problems emerging, as she carefully seated herself onto an extra chair. The men sat to her left side, while Rhys and his parents were seated across the table. They studied the meal before them, and was quite impressed at the delicious looking foods of all different varieties: soups, chicken, salad, all the various luxuries that the people of a small village was able to offer. In a moment's notice, the mercenaries found themselves digging into their meals, reaching out for what ever they could wolf down, though they did so in a polite manner.

"So, lass," Rhys' father began, "I hear you're part of the Greil mercenaries?"

Titania responded on cue, "Yes. I am Titania, the deputy commander." Gatrie and Shinon introduced themselves afterwards with a brief saying of their names, more occupied with the food rather than the conversation.

"Someone as young as you, a deputy commander? How impressive!" The old woman replied, taking a small bite of her salad as she swallowed, "Tell me, how old are you two lads?"

Before the general had the chance to reply, Shinon rudely cut in without consent on his part, "Twenty-six." Gatrie chose not to answer, instead returning to the meal.

"Twenty-six!" Rhy's mother continued, "Young men and women nowadays are such fighters, and skilled ones at that. It's no wonder Rhys is quite fascinated with you mercenaries."

Her husband chose to speak up before anyone else had the chance, "In fact," he declared, "Why don't you go follow them, Rhys?"

The priest immediately perked up, surprised by such a suggestion, "R-really? But, Father... I thought you said I was far too frail to be involving myself in battles!"

"Oh, why not," his mother exclaimed, "We know for sure that these mercenaries are strong, skilled youths. You'd be perfectly safe with these people as your comrades. Would any of you mind?"

Quickly, Titania took up the opportunity, "No, none of us would mind as to having Rhys come along. I was offering him to come along before dinner began, actually. All that is left is to confirm this with the commander."

"Bah," Shinon started, "I suppose one more to the Greil mercenaries wouldn't hurt. There's a lack of staff-wielders around, anyway."

"Excellent!" The old man excitedly shouted, "Rhys, my boy, you could finally have your childhood dream granted. You always did want to be engaged in these sort of activities, yes, yes? In the past I have said 'no', that is true, but it was merely because I feared your safety. But! These children have changed my mind - their skills are said to be unmatched in these areas!"

Nearly dropping his poultry, the priest found himself at a loss for any sort of words, though he finally managed to speak up in disbelief, "T-truly? I can accompany them?"

"Of course, my dear." His mother flashed him her continuously gentle smile, but she suddenly looked back towards the kitchen, "Oh! The treat is ready. I hope you are all still hungry." She escaped from her seat, rising to leave for the room she had been looking towards.

"Is it the treat?" Gatrie wondered, though the question was left unanswered due to no one having the correct answer for it.

A few minutes passed, as the elderly lady seemed to be rather busy in the back in the kitchen. Though, the waiting paid off as a sweet and delicious aroma entered the room, gradually filling the small space with its alluring scent. Everyone turned as Rhys' mother stepped toward the dining table with a plate of what was supposedly desert... and what happened to be the treat she had been speaking of.

"Hmm," the man hummed, "Is that what I think it is, m'dear?"

"Hoho, yes, it is," the woman's smile grew bigger as she set the hot plate onto the table, "Here is the treat, everyone; wildberry pie! It was originally meant to be for a special occasion, but I felt this was more important than that small event." Noticing that all eyes were on the pie on the middle of the table, she let out a small giggle.

"What are you all waiting for? Dig in, everybody."

They certainly did without any form of hesitation - and it was most definitely the best part of the day.

* * *

Authoress' Notes: Like most of my pieces, this didn't end the way I planned it to, partially because I was starting to... get lazy? Perhaps. As you can see, Shinon was drowned out by Titania and Rhys towards the middle of the story, but it couldn't be helped, as this is based off a conversation between the two, and the sniper was merely a support character in the history. Hopefully this was at least interesting, though.

"_Of course, I don't remember much of the initial encounter, since I was unconscious and bleeding! Ha! Remember that? I don't know why we didn't bring a healer with us that day... Fighting bandits without a staff? Not smart!_" - Titania (Rhys & Titania, C Support)


End file.
